Improved process of electroplating with nickel



' tical section through the same.

of the vat for containing the solution,.the bot- UNITED. STATES WILLIAM H. REMINGTON, OF BOSTON,

PATENT- OFFICE.

SELF, SARAH A..T. PEABODY, 'AND GEORGE D. ALLEN.

" IMPROVD PROCESS OF BLECTROPLATING WIT NICKEL.

Specification fownlng partwof Letters Patent No. 82,877, dated October 6, 1868. .Y l

To all whom it may concern: 4

Beit known that l, WILLIAM Il. Rumme- TON, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented a Process for Electrop'lating with Nickel,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference heilig had to the accompanying dra win gs, makin g part ot'this in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus which I employ in the process of elect-roplatin g with nickel. Fig. 2 is a transverse ver- Fig.3 is a plan tom being provided with a lining, to be hereinafter referred to. Fig. 4 is Va longitudinal vertical section on the line x of Fig.. 3. Fig. 5 represents a plate coated with nickel to be used as a positive electrode.7

The employment of nickel as a substitutey for silver in the process of electroplating 'presents many great advantages, the principal of which are, that nickel is extremelyhard and susceptible of a high polish, while it will not become tarnished by age or exposure tothe air; it will also withstand the action of intense heat, as it v cannot be readily fused by lire; and, furthermore, its cost is trilling compared with that of silver. i

It has, however, hitherto been found impossible to practically employ nickel, for the reason that it can only be obtained in small particles, and cannot, ou account of its infusibility, be formed into a plate for apositive electrode, as is required, to present the necessary amount of surface, While if the attemptv is made to fuse it with copper or other metal for which it has an affinity, the plate so formed would be unfit for use, as the deposit would not be pure and the desired result could notk be attained.

My invention has for its object to overcome these difficulties, and to enable me to successfully employ nickel in `the process of electroplating; and consists, lirst, in suspending or supporting a mass of the particles of nickel within the solution, so as to present an cxlended surface, and connecting them with the positive pole of the batteryby means ot'platinum or other suitable conductor of electricity specification,

vnot materially affected by the electric current or the solution employed;

`Thefsecohd part of my invention consists in lining the whole or a. portion ot' the interior of the vat or `vessel which contains the solution with carbon, or other suitable conductor of ,electricity not materially ai'ected by the electric current or solution, so that the particles port-ed asl above described, may be placed upon,

lining ofthe vat being connected with the posit-ive pole of the battery.

other conductor of electricity, upon which a been deposited, as a positive electrode,.t (be suspended 1n the ordinary-'mannen and couinstead of suspendingor .supporting the particles of nickel, or placing them upon the bot` tom of/,the vat, las above described.

The fourth part of my invention consists in a new and improved solutionto be used in the process of electroplating with nickel. A Toenable-others skilled in the 'art to understand and use my invention', I will proceed to rdescribe the manner rin which I have carried '-it out. i

. In the said drawings, A represents the vat or'receptacle for containing the solution. B, Fig. l, is a ba-Mery, thepositive pole ot' which is connected, by means ofthe wire a and screw-cups b c, with a metallic rod, O, the exedges of the vat A.

The negative p ole of the ybattery is conef, with a rod, D, placed at the opposite end of the vat, and from this rod the negative electrodos or articles to he. coated are suspendedin thel solution by wires 6in theordinary manner.

I will .now describe the manner in which the particles of nickel which form the positive electrode are suspended or supported in .the solution or bath, so asto .present the extended surface necessary to produce-the MAssAeHUsTTs, AssIeNou To HIM- of nickel, instead of being suspended or supthe lining at theVv bottom of the. vatin such at manner as to present the desired surface, the?" The third part of my invention consists-in the employment of a plate of metal, carbon, or

coat of nickel ot' sufficient thickness shall yhave nectcd with the positive pole of the battery,

-tremities of which rest in grooves in the upper nected, by means of a wire, d, and screw-cups required result. E is a basket or receptacle, (of the form seen in Fig. 1,) composed oi woven platinum wire, and suspended from the rod (l by means of platiuuln wires g. Within this wire basket l) are. placed the particles of nickel, the mass of .nickel thus suspended in the solution and ornung the positive electrode presenting an extended surface to thc action of the electric current and solution, and from this surface the nickel will be readily thrown down and deposited upon the negative electrodes suspended from the rod l). I do not, however, conliue myself to the use of platinum for the purpose of suspending or supporting the particles of nickel, as any other suitable conductor of 'electricity not materially all'ected by the electric current or the solution employed lnay be used instead. Neither do 1 confine myself to the use of a wire basket or receptacle for containing the nickel, as it may be suspendedin some other manner so as to present the desired surface. Instead of suspending the particles of nickel within the solution, as above described, they may be placed on the bottom of the vat, whcll, in such case, is to be covered or lined with carbon, G, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the carbon lining G being provided with a post or standard, It, of

the salue material, having a screw-cup, 'L'. at its llpper extremity, by which it is to be collnected with the positive pole ofthe battery, the electric current being by this means connected with the nickel, which may be thickly spread over the bottom of the vat, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, so as to present an extended surface, as required. Instead of a post, h, extending up from the lining the side or sides as well as the bottom of the vat may be lined with carbon, the lining beillg connected at any suitable point with the positive pole of the battery; or, instead of the above, a shelf of carbon con' nected with tle positive pole of the battery may project out from the side of the vat, and the nickel be spread thereon, in which case the lining G at the bottom of the vat will not be required, and,in lieu of carbon, any other suitable conductor of electricity not materially ail'ccted by the nlectric current or the solution employed may be used, if preferred, as a lining or surface upon which to spread the particles of nickel; or the entire vat or any portion thereof may be com posed of platinum, carbon, or other conductor of electricity not materially affected by the electric current or solution.

Instead of suspending the particles of nickel from the rod U, or otherwise supporting,r them, '1s above described, a plate of metal, carbon, or other conductor of electricity', upon which a coat of nickel of sufficient thickness shall have been deposited, may be employed as a positive electrode, the plate, H, Fig. 5, so coated heilig suspended from the rod C, and connected with the positive pole of the hattery, so that the nickel lnay be thrown down or deposited froln this plate in the same lnannel' as from a plate of silver or other metal, care being taken to remove the plate before its coating of nickel has become exhausted. In the above-described process, l prefer to iirst employ a strong current` of electricity for striking or whitening, similar to that elliploycd in the process of elcctroplating with silver. The solution which l clnploy, and which I have ascertained to produce the best results, is made in the following manner:

I take refilled nickel and dissolve it in nitric a'cid, slightly' diluted with water, say about onctwentieth part of the latter, adding the liquid to the nickel by degrees until it is entirely dis solved. The nickel is tllen precipitated bythe addition of a suitable quantity of carbonate ol' potasll. The'precipitate tlms obtained is then thoroughl y washed with pure water, after which it is dissolved in a strong solution of sal-ammoniac and filtered, when it will be ready for use. I do not, however, confine myself to the use ol' the above'described solution, as other solutions of nickel lnay be employed instead.

By means of the process above described l am enabled to elfect a perfect deposition ol' nickel upon the negative electrode, or article to be coated, in a simple, expeditious,and inexpensive manner, which has been a desideratuln hitherto uuattained, and by thus overcolning the difficulties heretofore experienced' I am enabled to extensively employ nickel in the process of electroplating; the peculiar properties of this metal-viz., cxtrelne hard ness and consequent length of wear, suscepti bility of high polish, freedom from liability to tarnish, power to withstand intense heat, and trilling cost compared with that ofsilver-rendering it elnincntly useful and of great value for all general purposes, and especially as a substitute for silver, which, as it can only be deposited in a pure state, is necessarily soft, and consequently liable to abrasion and rapid wear, besides being extrelnel y liable to become tarnished.

'What 1 clailn as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. suspending or supporting or holding a lnass of the particles of nickel within the solution, so as to present an extended surface, and connecting them with the positive pole of the battery bymeans of platinuln or other suitable conductor of electricity not materially ail'ectcd by the electric current or the solution employed, substantially as described.

2. A positive electrode composed of a plate of metal, carbon, or other conduetorvof electricity, upon which a coat of nickel of suilicient thickness shall have been deposited, substantially as set forth.

3. The within-described solution, prepared el' the ingredients and in a manner substantially as described.

4. A substance coat-ed or plated with nickel, as herein set forth, as a new article of lnanufacture.

WILLIAM H. REMINGTON.

Witnesses:

l. E. Trascurata-CHER, N. W. STEARNS.- 

